What price can Kent’s football clubs put on regular support? Maidstone United have shown this week how success can be rewarding.

After securing promotion to the Ryman Premier League on the back of their first season back in the county town, the Stones have seen over 600 fans renew their season tickets for the upcoming campaign.

Gates of over 2,000 last season saw the Gallagher Stadium packed out week after week and fans had to queue in their numbers to get play-off tickets come the end of the season.

Like a lot of Kent’s non league sides, they are doing things the right way at Maidstone United. They give great value for money and value every single fan that comes through the doors.

I’ve spent the last few years touring around some of Kent’s non league grounds. Some are clearly in need of a lick of paint, whilst others are heading in the right direction.

What can’t be doubted though is the level of enthusiasm and dedication that happens at most of the clubs. Volunteers turn out in their numbers for their clubs. Can you imagine that at certain clubs in the Football League and Premier League?

The difference with non league is that everyone is there for the love of the game. No one is raking in millions off the back of big TV deals or ripping fans off because of their loyalty.

The most important thing for “local” football clubs is luring the next generation of fans to their games and not having youngsters’ heads turned by the lure of going to watch a side 50 – 100 miles away.

There has to be a real connect with local supporters and the best way for clubs to do that is to make them feel special. With the global recession still part of our consciousness and fans spending every penny wisely, it’s easy to compare what is true value when it comes to picking a club to support.

Most of Kent’s non league sides charge less than £200 for a season ticket and Maidstone United are offering fans 11 – 16 years old the chance to go and watch 23 Ryman League games for just £80.

Just £80! it would probably cost you that for just one game at a Premier League club by the time you have paid for your travel.

What’s more important though is that by going to support your local side, you’re helping to inspire the next generation of local footballers.

As a Maidstone player last season, what more could you want than coming out to play local sides such as Faversham Town in front of over 2,000 fans?

If we don’t continue to support our local sides, I can quite easily see some going to the wall in the next few years. How can some clubs survive with gates of less than a hundred?

Kent has a rich history of non league sides with Gillingham and Charlton Athletic the only two representing the Kent FA this season.

Beneath them, we’ve got both Dartford and Welling United competing in the Skrill Premier this season with the likes of Bromley, Dover Athletic, Ebbsfleet United and Tonbridge Angels in the Conference South for the upcoming campaign.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised in the next five years that Kent has another league side to rival the likes of Gillingham.

Who that will be is down to various things. Having fans come out and support their side certainly helps though. Dartford’s Princes Park is one of the best non league grounds on the circuit with Ebbsfleet United now looking to invest in their facilities after their takeover in the summer.

With great facilities, fans are encouraged to come time and time again and that can’t be underestimated when looking to attract supporters from the local area.

Expectations are much higher nowadays. I remember standing on terraces that had gone at least twenty years between licks of paint when I grew up. Standing there with a few like minded fans and having to go and pee behind a wall are memories that will stay with me forever, but certainly wouldn’t be enough to attract the next generation of supporters.

One of the best examples of fans turning out for their side has to be what happened back in May when over 11,000 Tunbridge Wells fans made the pilgrimage to Wembley for the FA Vase Final.

Ok, some of them must have come from other Kent clubs, but it just goes to show how people love a success story.

This week, we have launched Heroes All. It’s a 68 page book that encapsulates exactly what happened on the day and in the weeks since.

I implore you to get yourself a copy as a lot of hard work has gone into the book from all concerned. More important than that, £2 from each copy sold will go to Teens Unite Fighting Cancer and Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

It’s things like this that make me proud of what we do at KSN.